1980: 'Non' to sovereignty in Quebec referendum

In the 1960s, René Lévesque made the prospect of a separate Quebec a reality. A shrewd politician, he gathered enough support to start the first sovereignty party Canadians took seriously. The Parti Québécois thrived because of his hard work, charm and democratic approach. In an era when some preferred to use firebombs to get their point across, Lévesque wanted Quebecers to vote on separation. Although the Quebec premier lost his 13-year fight after the 1980 referendum, he is remembered for winning countless other victories for francophones.

With the election of his Parti Québécois in 1976, René Lévesque sets Quebec on
the path toward a referendum on the question of independence for Canada's second
largest province by population. Four years later, on Tuesday, May 20, 1980, the
people of Quebec reply with a resounding No. Faced with the fact nearly 60 per
cent of voters have rejected his political dream of a sovereign Quebec, a
tearful Lévesque addresses an arena full of supporters with the promise, "'Til
the next time."

• While relieved by the result, Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, noted
the 40.6 per cent of voters who sought an independent Quebec and said, "we have
all lost a little in this referendum." Over the next four years, Trudeau's
primary political objective became the repatriation of the Canadian constitution
in an effort to appease Quebec.

• Over 85 per cent of eligible voters
participated in the referendum. A total of 2,187,991 people voted No to Quebec
independence, while 1,485,851 voted Yes.

Also on May
20:1851: The first Canadian postage stamps are
issued.1920: Montreal radio station XWA broadcasts the
first regularly scheduled radio programming in North
America.1971: Francis Simard is sentenced to life in prison
for the 1970 murder of Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte.1986: Sharon
Wood and Dwayne Congdon, both of Canmore, Alberta, reach the top of Mount
Everest. Wood is the first North American woman to reach the summit of the
world's highest mountain.2003: Canada's beef industry is
plunged into crisis when it is revealed a cow slaughtered in January had mad cow
disease. Levesque